October is the best month to plant a garden in Florida.  Vegetables thrive in our mild winter weather.  All you need is a spot that gets plenty of sun for most of the day.  Even on a patio you can plant in pots, Earthboxes, even these bags.  I’ve seen some interesting hydroponic gardens recently, too.  And if you’ve got the space, you can plant in the ground, naturally.

This year I decided to experiment with a few raised beds for part of my garden.  They’re fairly simple to make, they make the garden more accessible, and they can maximize a small space.

We decided to make our garden boxes open on the bottom.   If you have a problem with nematodes, check out boxes with bottoms so the soil is completely contained.  For any other gardening issues, I highly recommend the University of Florida Extension Service.  You can find so much on their website, or call your local office.  I recently called about the influx of yellow-banded millipedes. Have you these invaded your area yet?  Crab meal and diatomaceous earth can help control them, but I was glad to find they don’t pose a threat to our vegetable gardens.

If you’ve been successful with a particular type of garden, please tell us about it in the comment section.  I plan to post about the vegetables I’m growing, along with sources, soon.

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Raised Garden Beds

Makes one 4′ x 6′ box.

Supplies:

• (2) 2′ x 8′ x 4′ long lumber
• (2) 2′ x 8′ x 6′ long lumber
• (8) 3/8″ x 5″ stainless steel lag screws
• (8) 3/8″ washers
• liquid nails
• 1.5 cubic yards of soil

Directions:

Clear the site for the garden and level if needed.   Move all materials to the site.

Pre-drill a hole for each fastener; two for each joint.  Apply liquid nails to the face of each joint.  Insert the washers and fasteners.

Fill the box with soil and plant your garden.

Garden boxes provide excellent drainage.  Without adequate irrigation they dry out very quickly.  Hand-water daily, add to an irrigation system, or connect to an automatic watering timer on a hose bib.